The opposition coalition collapses ten weeks before the presidential elections

By Le Figaro with AFP

published On 03/03/2023 at 14:59to update On 03/03/2023 at 4:00 PM.

An alliance of six Turkish opposition parties split on Friday over choosing a joint candidate Confronting the outgoing head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan May 14 at the polls. The founder and head of the Iyi Party, Meral Aksener, refused to support the candidacy of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People’s Party, the main formation of this platform, which was chosen by five of the six parties. The Good Party is the second most important formation of the coalition.

In a televised speech, Meral Aksener considered that the selection of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, which should be formalized on Monday, resulted from “Small accountsIt is contrary to the public interest of Turkey. “Since yesterday, the Table of Six (coalition title, editor’s note) has lost its ability to reflect the will of the nation“, Launched. “This alliance is no longer a platform of common sense where you can discuss potential candidates: it has become an office of notaries working to approve a single candidate.I denounced.

Our nation wants you

Meral Aksener called on the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara, Ekrem Imamoglu and Mansur Yavas, both CHP members, to run. “Our nation loves you, our nation wants youshe shot off after meeting with executives at her party. During supportits boss“Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Mansur Yavas said he is ready on Tuesday to meet him”dutyIf the coalition asked him to do so. Ekrem Imamoglu clearly expressed his support for the CHP Chairman’s candidacy.

President Erdogan, who has been in power for twenty years and is a candidate to succeed him, made the announcement on Wednesday Save the presidential election date And legislative elections in mid-May, despite the February 6 earthquake, leaving just over ten weeks for the opposition to organize and campaign. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated 11 provinces in southern Turkey, killing 45,000 people, while displacing 3.3 million people.

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